Small Mercies
by Special FX
Summary: Her mother had always wanted to save him, but could somebody as fundamentally broken as Kirei Kotomine even be saved? Ruby wasn't sure, but that didn't mean she wasn't going to try.
1. Chapter 1

I.

 _The First Year_

* * *

It was supposed to be a mission like any other, find the target and eliminate them. It was a simple and straightforward job. Kirei Kotomine couldn't help but find it morbidly ironic that it ended up being nothing of the sort. He let out a pained breath, the loss of blood from his wounds were going to render him unconscious soon enough.

His fellow Executors weren't too far off from him in that regard.

Most of the team that he had been assigned to for the mission were already dead or in the process of dying. Kirei could see a couple of the bodies of his comrades scattered across the now bloodied room. The briefing that they had been given on the target could not have been more wrong. The heretic they were supposed to be hunting was a lot more dangerous than a mere rogue magus should've been.

Had it all been a set-up? Perhaps politics had been at play? The higher-ups in the church always did love to play their little chess games with one another. Or perhaps it truly had been an honest mistake, botched missions were rare, but not unheard of. Perhaps their dispatcher had simply given out the wrong information?

Kirei couldn't help but wonder at the thought. What kind of face would that person make when they realized that their mistake had been responsible for sending an entire group of their very own comrades to their graves? Would they be uncaring? Or would they be completely and utterly consumed by guilt?

What kind of face would a person like that make?

What kind of _suffering_ would he see?

What-

 _Stop._

That was a train of thought that _needed_ to end right then and there. He would not spend his last moments dwelling on such _sinful_ thoughts. It was unbecoming for a member of the church to harbor such thoughts. At the very least, he would face death with _some_ dignity.

Although, if this truly was how he was supposed to meet his end, he couldn't help but be disappointed.

Kirei Kotomine never did manage to find that elusive feeling of fulfillment. Many had said that he was a young man with a bright future. From his earliest memories as a child, great praise had always been heaped upon him. Many had considered him to be one of the rising stars among his peers in the Eighth Sacrament. And then, on his tenth birthday, after many years of hard work, of blood, sweat, and tears, he had been granted the prestigious title as one of the Church's Executors.

And yet, he found no satisfaction, no _joy_ in this accomplishment.

More and more memories from his brief ten years of life continued to resurface and play through his head like a broken record. Kirei had read memoirs from people that had described how their life had flashed before their eyes during a near death experience. Perhaps he was going through something similar, although all he could feel as he saw his past exploits replayed again was bitter disappointment.

Not once had he found any form of the fulfillment that he had been searching for.

Kirei watched as the last of his brethren, Simon, one of the elder Executors of the group continue to struggle in vain. From the way that the battle was going, Kirei knew that Simon didn't have a chance, and yet, he couldn't help but watch on in morbid fascination. As the last of Simon's Black Keys failed to hit their mark, Kirei could see the desperation and despair building in his fellow executor's eyes.

He should have felt anger, rage, or perhaps even sadness.

And yet, he found himself experiencing none of those emotions

Instead, what he felt was something new, something so foreign that he didn't think that he had ever felt anything even remotely similar in his entire life. It almost felt… _Good_ , and that scared him. Kirei found that no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't tear his eyes away from the sight of Simon's despair.

 _Why?_

Why could he not stop watching?

Why could he not turn away?

His vision began to blur, the blood loss seemed to have finally caught up with him. Darkness began to creep into his sight as objects soon began to mesh together into unrecognizable blobs of color. As his consciousness finally began to fade, Kirei couldn't help but be thankful for his injuries.

He didn't think that he would have been able to look away otherwise.

* * *

The snow was starting to come down quite hard. Winters in Patch always did get much too cold for her tastes. To the surprise of nobody, Summer Rose was someone that preferred the seasons when the sun was out for most of the day, instead of being hidden by dark, gloomy-looking clouds. Just like her namesake, she always did have an affinity for the warmer weather, more so than the cooler climates.

As she trudged along through the trees and snow, she was starting to wish that she had simply stayed at an inn for the night instead of trying to soldier through the dreary weather. But then the thought of not being able to see her two little angels for even a day longer kept her going strong. Truly, the life of a huntress did not mesh well with that of a mother of two.

With a long sigh, she pulled her hood deeper over her head and continued walking.

Summer had considered retiring, maybe get a job as a teacher like her husband instead of remaining as an active duty huntress, truly, she did. But she just couldn't give it up, it had always been her dream to be a hero, to help people in their time of need. She was probably a bad parent in that regard, putting her selfish little desire over spending more time with her family.

Perhaps in another year or so, she would consider retirement again. Maybe work at Signal like her husband and Qrow did, or maybe she could just stay at home and take care of the kids. As Summer continued to contemplate on her future, a strange sight caught the corner of her eye. In what should have been a sea of white snow with the occasional patch of green, there was a small black figure lying in the snow.

Summer's eyes narrowed as she tried to get a better view through the snow.

The figure wasn't in the direction that she was headed, but her curiosity got the better of her. As she made her way over towards the figure, she soon came to the horrible realization that the figure wasn't an object at all, but it was a person instead. And not only that, but it was a child that looked perhaps only a few years older than her very own children.

Her throat choked up a little bit at the sight.

The young boy that looked like he could have been no older than twelve was almost half buried in the snow. His hazel brown hair was terribly disheveled and to Summer's growing horror, there were traces of frozen blood on his face. Quickly tossing her equipment to the side, she began to drag the young boy out of the snow. The dark robes that the boy was wearing had a nasty gash cut across the middle of his chest, and she could see that the skin around the wound had already started turning blue from the cold.

Summer had some medical training, but a wound like that was beyond her.

Quickly, she checked his pulse, and couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief. The boy was still alive. She could rush him back home and try to get a doctor, but she wasn't sure if the boy was even going to last that long. Time was running out and she needed to figure out something, fast. As she bit her lower lip in frustration, a desperate plan had begun to form in her head.

She wasn't sure if it was going to work, but it was her best shot at saving him.

Reaching her hand towards the boy once again, she began to try feeling for his Aura. When she found that the boy had yet to have his Aura unlocked, she closed her eyes and recited the lines for the very same ritual that had been used to help her in the distant past.

 _For it is in passing that we achieve immortality. Through this, we become a paragon of virtue and glory to rise above all. Infinite in distance and unbound by death, I release your soul, and by my shoulder, protect thee._

The drain on her Aura was a little rough, but it was a small price to pay for potentially saving someone's life. As some of the color in the boy's skin began to return, Summer let out a breath that she hadn't realized she had been holding in. Her plan had worked, and the boy's Aura was doing the best job it could do to prevent his body from dying. It wasn't going to be enough for him to recover completely, but it would do for now, at least until she could get him to a real doctor. She strapped her equipment onto her back and reached down for the boy, picking him up as gently as she could.

There was nothing that was going to be stopping her from making it back home now, snowstorm be damned.

Not when there was someone that needed her help.

* * *

As he watched his wife pace around the room back and forth, Taiyang still wasn't quite sure just what exactly had transpired in the last hour.

It had been late at night when Summer made it back home, late enough that he had already put the kids to bed. To be honest, when he opened the door, he had been expecting a hug, or a kiss even, not his wife rushing past him with some strange kid in her arms, yelling at him to call their local doctor over all the while. Seeing the panic on his wife's face at the time, he had wisely decided to not ask any questions and quickly rummaged through the binder in which they kept important scroll numbers and called Dr. Cyan.

Summer had put the kid in the guest room and the doctor had arrived not too long after.

It was all so chaotic that Yang had woken up and was now sitting on the couch next to him as they continued to watch Summer pace back and forth in front of the guest room. Taiyang didn't even bothered with the questions yet, because once Summer got into one of those moods, she never felt like speaking to anyone. What he had learned over the years of being her teammate and her husband, was that it was best to simply wait until after she calmed down.

"Hey dad?" Yang managed to ask, as she stifled a yawn. "What's going on?"

"Your mother found someone that was hurt real bad," He replied, "That's why Dr. Cyan is here to make sure that he's alright."

"Oh."

As the hours passed by, Yang soon fell asleep on his shoulder. Taiyang couldn't help but ruffle his eldest daughter's hair a little bit before he carried her back to bed. When he came back to the living room, he saw that Dr. Cyan had finally stepped out from the guest room and was already speaking with his wife. He didn't get to catch the entire conversation, but he managed to piece together enough of it to know that the kid had survived and was going to be alright, more or less.

After giving him the bill, the doctor left soon after.

Taiyang began to make some tea in the meantime, his wife looked like she could use something to drink, and she always did enjoy his tea. After a brief moment, he brought over a fresh cup of green tea and took a seat at their kitchen table next to his wife. Summer simply looked _tired_ more than anything.

"Thanks Tai." Summer mumbled as she put her hands around the cup, feeling its warmth.

"Yeah, don't mention it." He simply replied, before taking a sip from his own cup. "So, you want to fill me in on the story about our new guest now?"

Summer only sighed as she stared into her cup.

"I found him outside, buried in the snow." Her voice cracked a little. "Someone just left him there, half-dead in the snow Tai! He's just a boy…"

Taiyang held his hand over his wife's and gave it a light squeeze. Summer always did have a heart of gold. She wanted to help everyone, and seeing people hurt always did devastate her in more ways than one. Some would call her a bleeding heart, but he loved her for it, along with her kindness and her warmth.

Summer was a lot different when compared to Raven in that regard.

"It's just not right Tai… Someone tried to kill him." Summer eventually murmured. "How could anyone do that to a child?"

Taiyang didn't answer because he didn't know himself. He knew that the world was a messed up place, but still… From what he had overheard about the kid's injuries, some people just went too far and crossed a line that shouldn't have been crossed. If someone had done that to Yang or Ruby…

He wasn't sure if he could stop himself from murdering someone in cold blood.

"So, what did the doctor say?" He asked, changing the subject.

"He said that the worst of it was over." Summer simply replied, "That the boy should wake up in a couple of days, at the most."

Taiyang gave his wife a reassuring smile.

"Hey, you did all you could, alright?" He wrapped his arm over her shoulders. "I'm sure that he'll be just fine."

"But it's not enough Tai…"

 _It's_ _never_ _enough_.

The unspoken words clung to his throat. For Summer, it was never enough. She wanted to save everyone, to make sure that _nobody_ ever had to get hurt again. Summer had always wanted to be a hero, just like the ones in the old stories that every parent used to tell their child. Summer wasn't a fool, she knew that it was impossible to save everyone, but that never stopped her from trying.

Taiyang just held his wife's shoulder tighter.

* * *

It was late into the night when Qrow knocked on the door, even later than when Summer had done the very same thing, only with a kid in her arms.

"Yo, Tai." Qrow greeted, slurring his words. "How's the stray doing?"

Taiyang scrunched his nose at the smell of liquor oozing out of his friend's breath. Ever since Qrow had started working with Ozpin, his old teammate had taken to drinking like a madman. He wasn't sure if it was because of the work, or something else entirely.

"He's not a cat Qrow." Taiyang replied as he took a seat with his old friend. "And no, he still hasn't woken up yet."

Qrow simply took another long drink from his flask.

"Yeah, you're right. Cats don't carry around a bunch sharp over-sized daggers. But then again, neither do most brats."

The weapons that they found on the boy did give Taiyang some cause for concern. They were sharp, dangerous looking things that seemed like they were designed more for throwing than for fighting in close combat with. What was a kid like him doing carrying around something as dangerous as that? He had made sure to keep them away from his own children, Ruby especially since she seemed to have developed an interest in sharp pointy objects as of late.

"So, were you able to find out anything about him?" Taiyang asked.

"Not a clue." Qrow replied with a shrug. "Whoever the brat is, he's not from around here, that's something I could tell you."

Taiyang rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, thanks Captain Obvious, I think I got that part figured out on my own."

"Hey, I said I'd help. Never did say I was going to solve the little case you got going on there for you, mister ace detective." Qrow quipped back. "So, the kids and Summer asleep yet?"

"Yeah, she tucked them in and dozed off a little while ago."

"Damn, guess I'll have to wait until the morning to see them then." Qrow said as he leaned back against the couch. "You try to read through that little black book that brat had on him yet?"

Taiyang just shook his head.

"All the blood that got soaked into the pages made it pretty much unreadable."

"Well, alright then. So no wallet, no form of ID at all, no scroll, and the one thing that we _did_ have on him is unreadable." Qrow summarized with a smirk. "I'd like to see how you solve this case then, _detective_."

Taiyang snorted.

"Isn't that why I called you here? You're the one that Ozpin has on his payroll for this type of stuff."

"You're forgetting a couple of important things here Tai." Qrow said as he held up two fingers. "For one, you don't have me on your payroll. And two, Oz actually gives me something to work with. Most of the time. You? You haven't even given me a _name_ here man. I'm good but I'm not a miracle worker Tai."

"What, all the freeloading I've been letting you do around here doesn't count as having you on my payroll?"

Qrow just chuckled.

"Hey, I can't help it if the kids just love seeing their uncle Qrow so much. I guess that I'm just a lot cooler than you are Tai."

Taiyang rolled his eyes at that.

"Yeah yeah, whatever. I'm going to sleep, don't drink yourself to death now Qrow."

Qrow simply replied by taking another chug from his flask.

"Can't think of a better way to go out, to be honest."

* * *

Ever so slowly, his eyes flickered open.

Kirei Kotomine had been half-expecting to see the Lord himself, along with the gates of Heaven awaiting him in the afterlife. What he saw instead, was a small, cozy little room. The window was slightly open as the light of an early dawn shined in from the outside. A glass vase full of fresh flowers stood on the table next to his bed.

The warm sheets that were neatly wrapped around his chest made it difficult to move.

With a little bit of a struggle, Kirei tumbled out of the bed. Pain laced throughout his body, but he ignored it and stood up in spite of the discomfort. He could see that someone had changed him out of his Executor robes in favor of a simple white shirt and black slacks. Bandages were wrapped around his chest, covering over the wounds that he had suffered during his battle with the heretic.

He tested out his limbs, starting with small, simple movements.

They were stiff from disuse, but they were at the very least, all still attached to his body without too much worse for wear. His Black Keys were nowhere to be found, but he could spot the small cross necklace that his father had given him lying on the table by his bedside. Kirei picked it up and wore it over his neck before he made his way over towards the door.

With a soft twist on the doorknob, he quietly pulled the door open and stepped outside.

There was a soft sizzling sound that could be heard, and an aroma that smelled oddly similar to that of scrambled eggs and bacon. A man could be seen sleeping on a couch, a large broadsword was lying next to him, standing upright next to a table. The man's hair was pitch black, and an empty flask that reeked of alcohol hung off his fingertips. Seeing that the man wasn't going to be a threat, Kirei quietly followed the direction that his nose was currently leading him, a soft grumble emerging from his stomach all the while.

A woman with a pink apron around her waist seemed to be cooking breakfast.

"Morning Qrow." The woman greeted as she reached for a plate from the cabinet. "I'm almost done with breakfast. You like your eggs-"

The woman dropped the plate she was holding as her eyes went wide.

From what Kirei could see, she wasn't very tall, and her hair was a reddish-black color. Although what really stood out to him were those silver eyes that she possessed. As their eyes met, Kirei felt his limbs tense up, ready to spring into action if necessary. A habit that had been drilled into him from his training as an Executor.

The last thing he had been expecting however, was for the woman to start tearing up.

"Y-you're awake…" She breathed out, a genuinely happy smile appearing on her face. "Thank goodness."

Kirei Kotomine simply stared.

He didn't think that anyone, aside from his father, had ever looked at him with such a genuine expression of happiness on their face before. The very first thought that came to his mind was what it would take for a face like that to be wracked with agony.

He responding by clenching his fists and biting down on his tongue _hard_ , crushing the thought away with a sudden explosion of pain.

* * *

 **Author's Notes-** Don't mind me, just trying to shake off the rust with something new. We've all seen stories with Shirou getting zapped into some new universe, but what about with everybody's favorite fake-priest? Rejoice, my readers, for your wish has been granted!

... Seriously, I think I have a problem.

-SFX


	2. Chapter 2

II.

 _The First Year_

* * *

Qrow Branwen _hated_ waking up early.

For as long as he could remember, he had never been much of a morning person. Even back in the old days with Team STRQ, it had always been Summer that had to drag him out of bed for their morning classes. And these days, with all the booze in his system, trying to wake up at all was a challenge in itself.

That wasn't to say that he _couldn't_ wake up early though, if the situation required it. Qrow was still a huntsman after all, and like most of his peers, he had developed the habit of being a light sleeper. Being out in the field surrounded by Grimm at all times tended to have that type of effect on most people. So naturally, when Summer dropped that plate way too early in the morning, his eyelids had shot wide-open in response.

 _That_ , had not been a fun experience.

It was safe to say that he needed a drink.

"Qrow, what did I tell you about drinking around the kids?" Summer asked, shooting him an annoyed look. "And really? Drinking this early in the morning?"

Qrow held his flask in place, mere inches away from his mouth, before he slowly put it back into his coat pocket, holding his hands up in mock surrender. Taiyang shared a look with Yang and they both started laughing at his expense. Ruby just smiled while she tried to cut her bacon into tinier strips.

Truly, breakfast at Summer and Taiyang's house was the same as ever.

Well, except for the new face that quietly sat at the corner of the table. While most kids his age would have devoured Summer's home-cooked meal without a care in the world, Kirei Kotomine, as he had introduced, was very meticulous with his food. Of course, he wasn't saying there was anything _wrong_ with being a well-mannered brat.

No, what was starting to bother Qrow was that he hadn't been able to get a read on the kid at all.

You'd think that a kid that just woke up in a stranger's house with wounds like that would at least be a little nervous or something. This brat though? He'd been stone-faced the entire time, without even a flicker of emotion in his eyes. Qrow had seen eyes like those before, in _broken_ people that had lost everything, in people that could no longer find any joy left in the world.

A little brat having eyes like those just ticked him off for some reason.

"Alright Yang, it's time to get you off to school." Taiyang said as he began to clean up his plate. "We don't want to be late now, right?"

"Aww…" Yang groaned. "But I wanna stay with Uncle Qrow!"

Qrow just ruffled her hair.

"I'll still be here when you get back firecracker."

"Promise?"

"Yeah." Qrow grinned. "Promise."

"Come on Ruby." Taiyang said as he picked up his youngest daughter. "Let's go take your sister to school."

"Okay!" Ruby happily replied. "Bye mommy, bye Uncle Qrow! Oh, and bye Kirei!"

"Good-bye Ruby." The boy simply replied. "Have a safe trip."

Taiyang shared a brief look with Summer before he took the kids outside. Qrow just let out a sigh, before he reached into his coat pocket and took out his flask. Ignoring the dirty look that Summer was shooting him, he took a long swig. She never did approve of his new drinking habit, but he'd be damned if she stopped him.

"Alright kid, now that the girls are gone." Qrow said, turning his attention towards Kirei. "How about we resume from where we left off in the morning?"

Kirei Kotomine simply stared at him.

"Very well. What else would you like to know?"

* * *

It was starting to become quite apparent to him that something very _strange_ was going on. The more answers he traded with Qrow and Summer, the more Kirei began to slowly realize that he was no longer in Italy, or even the same _world_ for that matter. How something like that was even possible was beyond what his limited knowledge of mage-craft could comprehend.

It soon occurred to him that he would no longer be able to see his father, or anybody from the Church again.

Kirei had half-expected to feel some form of sadness or sorrow over the ordeal, but in the end, he supposed _that_ was just hoping for too much. He felt _nothing_ in regards to his father. It wasn't as if he disliked his father… He just couldn't return the same love that Risei had given him all these years.

Deep down, Kirei had always known that there was something _twisted_ inside of him.

He just never wanted to admit it.

"For what it's worth, I'll see if I can find out anything about your father." The man known as Qrow said. "Can't make any promises though."

Kirei simply nodded in response.

"Nonetheless, thank you for your assistance, Mr. Brawnwen."

"Mr. Brawnwen's my dad kid." Qrow scoffed, "It's just Qrow."

"If you insist… Mr. Qrow."

"Yeah, I do. And drop the Mister crap." The man dryly replied, his words starting to slur a bit. "Now, I'll leave you with the lovely lady while I go get drunk."

"W-wait Qrow!" Summer stammered out.

"Later Summer." Qrow waved off as he all but stumbled out the kitchen. "I'll be getting hammered outside if you need me."

Kirei raised an eyebrow, but otherwise said nothing.

From what he had seen of the man so far, Qrow Brawnwen was a strange individual. The man acted like a simple drunkard, but Kirei could tell that underneath that facade was a man that had been scrutinizing him the entire time. There was a certain steel to his eyes that reminded Kirei of his elders in the Executors.

He had a feeling that rather than getting 'hammered' outside, the man was up to something else entirely.

Summer Rose on the other hand, was someone that wore her emotions on a sleeve. And the exasperation on her face was very clearly evident. Kirei couldn't help but think that they were an interesting bunch, to say the least.

"A-ah, well… I can't say that I know how you must be feeling right now, Kirei." The motherly woman eventually began, "But, if you'd like, you're free to stay here with my family until we get your uh… _Situation_ figured out."

Kirei wasn't surprised at the generous offer. It had already become quite apparent to him just what kind of person Summer Rose was. She was someone that Kirei would never be able to become, no matter how fervently he desired it.

 _A pure and beautiful soul._

"That would be very helpful." Kirei simply replied as he bowed his head. "Thank you for your generosity, Mrs. Rose."

"O-oh, you don't have to call me that. Just Summer is fine." The woman smiled, a completely pure and kind-hearted gesture. "Welcome to the family, Kirei."

Perhaps…

Perhaps if he were to observe her way of life. If he were to spend some time with her, to understand her. Then maybe, just maybe…

He would be able to become more like her.

And less of the twisted _monster_ that he was.

* * *

Yang wasn't sure what to think about Kirei Kotomine.

She had always been good with people. Her teachers had called her a social butterfly, a ray of sunshine that got along well with everyone. If you were to ask someone, they would probably tell you that she was probably the most popular girl in her class.

Kirei puzzled her though.

The boy had been around for a few days now, and she still couldn't get a good read on him. It didn't help that the boy was content with being by himself most of the time. Trying to get him to play with her and Ruby was actually impossible.

Even her baby sister's puppy dog eyes didn't work.

And that trick worked on _everybody_ , even on mom. Speaking of her mom, it was kind of weird how the only person Kirei ever actively sought out was her mother. And the few times he wasn't with Summer, he simply stayed locked up in his room.

Yang had peeked inside once, curious as to what he did, cooped up in the guest room all the time. And much to her surprise, all he _ever_ did was kneel down in the middle of the room, clutching that necklace he always wore while muttering some strange phrases to himself. When she had asked her mom about it, Summer only said that it was Kirei's own way of dealing with his problems.

She could at least tell that Kirei had gone through a bit of a rough time before her mom found him.

That was why she tried to be his friend. The only problem was that the boy just didn't show any interest in hanging out with her or Ruby whatsoever. It actually kind of irritated her, with how lackadaisical he was in dismissing her attempts to befriend him.

So, it honestly came as a surprise to her when Kirei actually agreed to have a spar.

Yang had seen him out in the woods once, practicing a form of martial arts that she was unfamiliar with. Dad had taught her some martial arts in the past, but she never really delved too much into it herself. She preferred a more boxing-oriented style where she was able to just clobber people with her fists.

"Are you ready, Yang?" Kirei asked, not showing any emotion in his tone.

Yang felt her lips curve into a cocky grin.

"Heh. Don't go easy on me now."

Kirei didn't bother responding, so she simply got ready in a familiar boxers stance. It was only her first year at Signal, but Yang had already proven that she was the best fighter in her class by a large margin. Dad had trained her well in that regard, so even though Kirei was a little older than she was, she'd make sure that she'd hold back.

Yang didn't want to hurt him after all.

Well, not too badly anyway.

"Alright Kirei, here I come!"

Yang planted _hard_ off her left foot and rushed forward. To his credit, Kirei didn't get spooked and back off, so maybe it wouldn't be as one-sided after all. Not backing off from one of _her_ rushes though, that took a special kind of stupid.

She started off with a quick combination of jabs. They weren't too heavy, but she was quick on the draw. Surprisingly enough, Kirei managed to dodge or block most of her strikes, as she only managed to clip him across the cheek once.

Yang grinned.

Alright, she had to admit that Kirei was pretty good, but her best had yet to come. She threw out another combination of jabs before she planted her back-foot and winded up for a big right-hook. To her surprise, he managed to duck underneath her punch and grab at her outstretched arm. Dragging her arm over his left shoulder, Kirei stepped forward and struck her directly in the chest with his right elbow.

In spite of her Aura taking the brunt of the hit, she still struggled to find her breath after the hit.

It felt as if a truck had just hit her in the chest. Almost at the same time, Kirei struck at her leg and knocked her off balance. For a brief moment, Yang was stunned and she could do nothing as she fell to the ground. She landed on the dirt in a heap and took a brief moment to catch her breath.

Kirei simply stood aside, a blank expression on his face as usual.

With a grunt, Yang soon got to her feet.

"I want a rematch."

* * *

Kirei simply watched as the blonde-haired girl slowly got back up on her feet and charged straight at him once again. Another predictable left-jab was sent his way, which he easily sidestepped before countering with a palm strike to the chin and a sweeping leg kick to knock her to the ground once more. The girl let out a gasp as she fell down to the floor for the fourth time in a row.

Her strikes were simply too predictable.

Yang telegraphed all of her punches, making it easy to evade and counter, even if she possessed an alarming amount of speed in those strikes. He had held back during their bouts of course, as it wasn't a very fair match to begin with. While she might've been training as a huntress, he was already a full-fledged Executor of the church. He had been tirelessly trained by professional murderers that beat into his head the most efficient way to kill a human being.

The only reason had even accepted the spar in the first place was to simply test out how his newfound Aura would affect his fighting style.

The results were _interesting_ to say the least.

When Yang stood back up again with eyes that glowed red like a raging inferno, he couldn't help but raise an eyebrow. Her Aura almost seemed to be physically visible as it wrapped around her body in a coat of bright light. Her lips had grown into a snarl as she shot him a glare that simply radiated anger.

How curious.

"I… Want…" Yang grounded out. "Another… Match…"

"You're angry." He simply stated.

"Obviously." She tersely replied. "What gave it away?"

"Why?"

For a brief moment, the anger on her face was replaced by a look of pure incredulity.

"What…? Oh, I don't know…" She eventually growled out, the anger returning once more. "Maybe because you beat the snot out of me four straight times?!"

"You were the one that requested a spar." He pointed out. "An outcome like this should have been within your expectations."

Perhaps that had been the wrong thing to say, as the angry Aura simmering around Yang seemed to get even denser.

"I'm not going down until I win!" She snarled as she got into another stance. "I want another match!"

Ah… Now he understood why she was so angry. He had damaged her ego. It had been so long since he had interacted with others around his age that he had forgotten how troublesome children tended to be.

"I refuse."

Her eyes narrowed.

"What!? Why!?"

"There are no 'winners' or 'losers' in a spar, Yang." Kirei simply stated. "And your mind is clouded with anger right now. The outcome will simply be the same."

"Oh yeah?" Yang challenged, the inferno still burning brightly in her eyes. "Prove it then!"

Kirei let out a sigh.

"I should rephrase that. The only 'loser' is the one that doesn't use a spar as another tool for improvement." He explained. "You telegraph your punches too much. Use less obvious shoulder motions and your strikes will be harder to dodge."

Yang glared at him, but she seemed to be at least mulling over his words.

"Mmm… You mean like this?" She threw out a quick series of jabs. "... Less shoulder, right?"

Kirei nodded in response.

"It will make your punches more difficult to read, and thus, harder to evade."

The girl was quiet for a moment.

"Huh… I never really thought about it like that." Yang replied, the angry red in her eyes no longer there. "Thanks…? I guess."

"You're welcome. Have you calmed down now?"

The girl crossed her arms over her chest.

"No." She huffed. "I'm still mad at you."

Kirei resisted the urge to roll his eyes.

"Buuuuuut…." She drew out the syllable. "I'll forgive you if you teach me some of your moves."

"You wish to learn Bajiquan?" He asked, hiding the surprise in his tone.

"Baji-what now?" Yang questioned with a raised eyebrow. "If you mean those slick counter moves you got there, then yeah, I do."

Kirei contemplated the request for a moment.

Yang definitely had the potential to be a fearsome hand-to-hand fighter in the future. And he did find himself somewhat curious as to just how strong she would become. Teaching was not something that he had done before, but... Perhaps having a student would provide him with some form of that ever elusive feeling of fulfillment.

For a soul without a purpose like himself, it was worth a shot.

"Very well." Kirei simply replied. "I will teach you what I know about Bajiquan, Yang."

"Really? Heh." The girl grinned as she sauntered over and threw an arm over his shoulder. "You know, you're not such a bad guy Kirei."

He could only let out a bitter laugh at that.

If only she knew just exactly how _twisted_ he truly was.

* * *

Summer hummed a happy tune as she began to prepare dinner.

There was an extra mouth to feed now, which meant a little extra work for her, but she didn't mind. Summer was just happy that she had been able to save that little boy that was dying in the snow. She didn't think that she would've been able to live with herself had she allowed a child like that to perish.

Summer didn't think that her heart would've been able to take it.

"May I help with supper?" A familiar little voice asked.

"Oh, hey Kirei." Summer greeted with a smile. "Sure, you can help. Would you mind setting the table for me then?"

Kirei simply nodded in response.

The boy began to gather some tableware and started to methodically place them around their small kitchen table. Lately, Kirei seemed to have taken a liking to her, as he tried to help her out with chores around the house whenever he wasn't locked up in his room. Summer didn't mind of course, because having an extra helping hand was always nice, especially since Tai and Yang were gone for most of the day at Signal.

Tai only worked part-time so it wasn't too bad most of the time, but the days he _did_ have work, things would get a little bit hectic. Qrow would come by to help out with Ruby when she was out on huntsmen work, but she didn't want to rely on her old teammate too much, not on the days that she was home at the very least.

Turning off the faucet, she grabbed a knife and began cutting the vegetables on her chopping board while humming another pleasant tune.

"You seem... Happy." Kirei softly murmured.

Summer just smiled again.

"That's because I am happy." She replied as she cut a carrot into those tiny little slices that Ruby loved so much. "I'm in a good mood."

"Why?"

She stopped cutting and raised an eyebrow at the boy.

"You're asking why I'm happy?"

Kirei simply nodded in response.

"Hmm… I don't really know." Summer replied with a shrug. "I guess I'm just happy to be back home. I missed spending time with Tai and the girls when I was out on the job."

"... I see." Kirei softly replied, with some uncertainty in his voice.

Summer put down her knife and walked over towards the boy.

"You know, I'm happy that I got a new little helper too." She flashed another smile as she ruffled his hair a bit. "You think you could go tell Tai and the girls to get ready for dinner?"

The boy just blinked, before slowly nodding once again.

Summer watched as he left the kitchen before letting out a small sigh. She wished that Kirei would lighten up a little and smile a bit. He just always seemed so… Depressed, for lack of a better word. Actually, now that she thought about it, she didn't think that she saw Kirei smile a single time since he had woken up. She had a feeling that the boy was probably still shell-shocked after what happened to him. It was why she and Qrow didn't really press him with too many questions about what had happened to him, not wanting to dig up too many bad memories for him in the process.

She hoped that Qrow would be able to find his father soon, but judging from how the search went so far, things weren't looking too great in that regard.

Kirei was always welcome to stay with her, but a child being separated from his family just bothered her. She needed to think of a way to cheer him up. She casually spun the knife in her hand once before she went back to chopping away at the vegetables. Maybe she'd buy him an action figure or some video games? Boy's liked stuff like that, didn't they?

Scratching at the back of her head, Summer frowned.

Maybe she should just ask Tai or Qrow about this instead.

* * *

 **Author' Notes-** Ah... My muse has been burning strong lately, so enjoy the quick updates (Well, by my standards anyway). I think I might be having a little too much fun with this one. What do you think guys, can I turn Kirei into someone that isn't a complete bastard? Pfft... This cannot end well.

Anyway, I'm still working my way back into the writing game after a long hiatus, so if there's any glaring errors, let me know. Thanks for the reviews guys, until next time.


	3. Chapter 3

III.

 _The First Year_

* * *

Yang Xiao Long was a natural.

They had only been training for a little over a week, and already, her form had improved significantly. She was able to pick up on the basic techniques of Bajiquan with relative ease. Their spars lasted a good deal longer now, at least when compared to when the fiery blonde had first challenged him.

Although she was talented, the girl lacked control over her emotions.

Yang was quick to anger, and when that happened, she would always fall back into her bad habits. Any sense of caution or strategy that she had would be so clouded by rage that she would simply attack recklessly. Against a skilled opponent, such an easily abusible weakness would be fatal. It was a flaw in her otherwise solid abilities as a fighter that sorely needed to be fixed.

At the very least, it was a little amusing to see how frustrated she could get. It was almost like a game for him at this point, to see how long she could contain her anger before she finally blew up into a frenzied rage. He would be lying to himself if he said that there wasn't something oddly enjoyable in seeing how frustrated she would get over a simple spar.

With another measured breath, he contorted his body into another Bajiquan stance.

"Kirei, you've got to be the most boring brat I've ever seen. Do you even know what _fun_ is?"

Kirei slowly opened his eyes.

The voice was a gravelly one that reeked of too much alcohol, which could only belong to one other person that he knew of. How Qrow Branwen had managed consistently to sneak up on him like that was quite impressive. The crude drunkard's skills were not to be underestimated.

"What would you suggest as a 'fun' activity then, Qrow?" Kirei asked, his arms moving forward into another stance all the while.

"Go do what all the other brats your age do." Qrow replied with a bit of a drunken stupor. "Go play in the snow or something."

Kirei highly doubted that 'playing in the snow' would be 'fun' for somebody like himself. He was not even a normal _person_ to begin with, much less a regular child. By the time he was Yang's age, he was already knee-deep in his training as a future Executor of the Church. 'Fun' was an unfamiliar feeling for him.

"Are you suggesting that I listen to your nieces?"

"Ruby's been telling me how you've been refusing her invitations to play." Qrow replied with a slight shrug. "Why not indulge her a bit? Who knows brat, maybe you'll actually crack a smile for once."

That was unlikely, but he supposed he could entertain the girl for once, if only to stop her from pestering him.

"Perhaps in the future." Kirei simply answered as he let out another measured breath, "Was there something else that you wanted, Qrow?

"Yeah." Qrow replied as he took out his flask, "There's some things that I've been meaning to ask you about for a while now."

Kirei stopped his exercises and turned his full attention towards the drunkard.

"Very well. I will answer what I can."

"To be honest, I've been wanting to ask you since the beginning, but you know how Summer is. She was afraid it'd dig up some bad memories for you." The man nonchalantly explained, as if talking about the weather. "She's too nice for her own good sometimes.

Qrow took a drink from his flask.

"See, I'm a bit of an expert when it comes to finding people. I couldn't find even a trace of your father though. Not in any records in Vale, Atlas, or any of the kingdoms for that matter."

The man popped the cork back onto his flask and put it back into his coat pocket.

"Course, that happens every now and then. And it made sense at the time, since you said you weren't from any of the kingdoms." Qrow continued, his words starting to slur a little bit in the end. "So, I tried going through some of my contacts that were familiar with the settlements on the frontier instead, and they've never heard of a 'Risei Kotomine' either."

Kirei said nothing as Qrow continued to appraise him with a curious glint in his eyes.

"You think that I'm lying?" Kirei eventually asked.

Qrow simply shrugged once again.

"Look kid, I don't particularly _care_ where you came from. If you don't want to tell anyone, that's fine, I was the same way back in the day." The drunkard said as he crossed his arms over his chest. "I just want to know if you being around is going to be dangerous for my family or not."

Kirei raised an eyebrow.

"You know, if there's someone that's after you or something." Qrow clarified with a frown, "It'd be nice to know."

Kirei had a pretty good feeling that Qrow was misunderstanding something. It seemed that the man had jumped to his own conclusions based on assumptions. Did Qrow think that he was a runaway stray or something? That he was on the run from some vile criminal?

He supposed that it was a plausible scenario.

"I believe that you are misunderstanding something Qrow." Kirei simply stated in an even tone, "But no, there's nothing like _that_ to worry about." He paused, before adding an afterthought, "Also, there's no need to keep trying to search for my father."

"Yeah?" Qrow asked, an unreadable expression on his face, "And why's that kid?"

Kirei found his eyes looking towards the sky, where a half-shattered moon usually hung. It was a sky that looked so very similar and yet, it couldn't have been anymore different

"Because it's pointless to try and search for somebody that no longer exists."

* * *

Kirei watched curiously as the youngest of Summer's daughters continued to scribble away on a blank sheet of paper.

One of Ruby Rose's many definitions of 'fun' had included drawing. The scribbles weren't much to look at themselves, similar to what any other young child would create. What had managed to catch Kirei's attention was _what_ little Ruby Rose liked to draw. They were scribbles that were made up of dark, hard lines with eyes that appeared to have been colored in with a dark-red.

"What is that?" The words had left his mouth before he even noticed.

Wide-eyed silver pupils turned towards him in surprise.

"Kirei!" Ruby happily called out his name, "Those are Grimm!"

 _Grimm._

Summer had warned him about venturing too deep into the forest, because the Grimm roamed the outskirts around the small town of Patch. According to the woman, the Grimm were creatures of destruction, monsters that lacked a soul whose sole purpose was the annihilation of humanity. He had yet to see what the Grimm looked like in person, but from the explanations that Summer had given him, he had a feeling that they probably looked a lot more sinister than the little dark blobs that Ruby had been drawing.

"And this is me!" Ruby pointed out with her pencil, "I'm gonna be a huntress just like mom when I grow up!"

It was a stick figure, albeit one with what appeared to be a red hood.

The stick figure had what appeared to be a scythe in its hand and looked like it was fighting against the little dark blobs that were supposed to be Grimm. It seemed a bit strange to Kirei that a young child would be casually drawing something as violent as what little Ruby Rose was scribbling. But then again, in a world like Remnant, something like this was probably of the norm.

Kirei found his curiosity getting the better of him once again.

"Why do you want to be a huntress, Ruby?"

"Because I wanna be a hero!" The little girl happily replied as she continued to scribble away, "I wanna help people just like mommy does."

A _hero_.

How interesting.

In a way, Kirei couldn't help but be jealous, that even someone as young as Ruby Rose already had a dream to strive for, a purpose in her life, something that truly made her _happy_. A far cry from someone like himself, who had searched for years for that elusive feeling of fulfillment and still struggled to this day to come to terms with himself.

That what made him _happy_ , also made him a _monster_.

 _No_.

There was still a chance. There _had_ to be something else out there in the world that could give him fulfillment. He refused to believe that the Lord could have created a being like him with such a _deficit_.

Something like that should _not_ exist.

"Hey Kirei, do you like my drawing?"

A curious pair of eyes looked up at him.

For a brief moment, a wicked, almost _juvenile_ thought crossed his mind. What kind of painful expression would she make if he were to say that he _despised_ her drawing? That her drawing was absolutely _terrible?_

"Of course, it is a lovely drawing Ruby."

Kirei had lied.

He disliked lying, but lying was the _correct_ thing to do in this situation. It was the lesser of two evils and the lie had flowed out easily enough. The way the girl's eyes seemed to almost light up in response only further cemented that fact.

Children enjoyed being praised after all, even if they were just empty lies.

"Here Kirei." Ruby said, holding out her drawing in front of him. "I'll give it to you then."

Kirei simply stared at the piece of paper that was dangling from the young girl's hand.

"Thank you, Ruby." He eventually said as he reached out and grabbed the drawing. "I will make sure to treasure it."

The girl smiled in return.

It was a lie, of course. He had made the _correct_ decision once again in that regard. Ruby was happy, and he believed that he should have been as well.

The fact that he had felt _nothing_ in return only caused him further disappointment.

* * *

Taiyang couldn't help but let out a soft whistle as he watched Kirei deflect another punch from Yang, before he sent her sprawling onto the ground. Even from the brief glimpses he had seen of the sparring matches between Kirei and his daughter, he could already tell that the boy was talented for his age.

A prodigy even.

His daughter was a bit of the same in that regard, at least when it came to fighting anyway. She stood head and shoulders above her peers at Signal and her ego had been getting a little too big for his tastes. Taiyang was actually glad that there was somebody around her age to humble her a bit.

Overconfidence in training just led to a few scrapes and bruises, but overconfidence out in the field could lead to a serious injury or worse.

"The brats pretty good." A raspy voice stated.

"You're back already Qrow?" Taiyang asked absentmindedly, his eyes still glued to the spar. "What did Ozpin want?"

Qrow simply shrugged.

"Just another job. Nothing new."

"You going to be gone for a while this time?"

"Probably." Qrow casually replied, "So, you talk with Summer about what you're going to do with the kid yet?"

Taiyang watched as Kirei sent Yang tumbling into the snow once again. To his surprise, the girl didn't explode into a burst of rage like he thought she would. She always did have a bit of a temper problem, so it was nice to see her start controlling it better.

"Yeah, we've talked about it." Taiyang replied, "She's fine with letting him stay here."

Qrow let out a sigh.

"I figured as much." The man took a drink from his flask. "And what about you Tai?"

And what about him?

Taiyang watched as Kirei held out a hand and helped his daughter back up. Somebody had trained Kirei well, almost _too_ well. The way he fought, the vital areas he always seemed to target, somebody had trained this kid to be a killer of men rather than Grimm.

They didn't know too much about his background, and Kirei wasn't someone that talked much to begin with, but it was obvious to anyone that the kid came from some messed up place or another. You could see it in the boy's eyes, and how _lifeless_ they were. In spite of the boy's questionable background, he knew Summer wouldn't be able to just drop the kid at some orphanage when it came to something like this, she was far too kind-hearted for that.

"I just told her that I was fine with it." Taiyang replied with a shrug, "You know how stubborn Summer can get with these things."

Qrow snorted.

"Don't remind me. I'd keep an eye out on the kid though."

"Yeah." Taiyang agreed, "Whoever did that to him in the first place might come back to finish the job."

"Not that Tai." Qrow said with a frown, "That kid… He's not right in the head. I can see it in his eyes."

Qrow took another long drink from his flask, "I don't know what happened to him in the past, but it must've messed him up _real_ good."

Taiyang just nodded his head.

"The last time I saw somebody with eyes as empty as that kid's, they ended up offing themselves not too long after." Qrow continued in a solemn tone, "I don't know if that's going to be the case with him, but it's something to watch out for in the future." He popped the cork back onto his flask, "You know, if you guys are going to get that invested into the kid."

Taiyang only absentmindedly nodded his head once again.

"... Yeah."

* * *

Kirei stared at the identification card in his hands. A picture of himself simply stared back. The card itself read 'Kirei Kotomine' and it listed him as a citizen of Vale.

"We finally managed to get you registered into Vale's system." Summer explained with a hesitant look on her face, "I went ahead and put myself as your guardian for now, if you're okay with that…" Her voice trailed off, "I know that we haven't known each other for that long but, I- No, _we'd_ like it if you decided to stay with us, Kirei."

It was strange to see Summer as nervous as she was.

"I'd like that as well." He simply replied with a bow, "Thank you for your continued hospitality."

Summer and her family were interesting, to say the least. He was someone that found most things in the world to be dull. To find that even after all this time, that simply observing Summer and her family's way of life still proved to be compelling enough to keep his interest, that was a already a feat in itself.

"R-really? Oh, I mean, that's great!" Summer corrected with a warm smile. "Honestly, I really didn't want to have to leave you at an orphanage just for you to end up becoming a ward of the kingdom or something-"

Kirei simply watched on impassively as the jumble of words and sentences kept pouring out from the woman's mouth. It was an odd quirk of hers that seemed to manifest whenever she was feeling nervous or anxious about something. At least, that was what he had managed to gleam from their time spent together.

"Annnnnd- I'm babbling again, aren't I?" She asked, and Kirei simply nodded in response. "Ah, right…" She smiled sheepishly. "What I _meant_ to say was, I'm glad that you decided to stay."

It was strange for him, to see how _happy_ she was that he had simply decided to remain with her family. It made him a little envious as well. Why couldn't he feel such joy, such fulfillment as well?

 _Why?_

Even when he desired it so desperately? When he prayed for it so fervently? _Why_ was it that the only time he had ever felt _alive_ was from watching the suffering of others…? The very thought of it went against _everything_ that his father and the Church had taught him.

It was as if his entire being had been some sort of _mistake_.

"Hey, Kirei? Are you alright?" Summer asked, a worried look on her face. "You're shaking…"

She put a hand on his shoulder.

"I- I'm fine." He let out a deep breath and calmed himself. "Sorry, I was lost in my thoughts. What were you saying again?"

Summer had a pensive look on her face.

"If you're sure…" She trailed off with uncertainty. "Well, I was just talking about what you were going to do from now on."

"What I'm going to do…?" He repeated.

"Yeah, I mean you weren't planning on just training in the woods every day, were you? You've got to find _something_ else to do with your time."

With everything that had happened lately, Kirei hadn't put too much thought into his future.

"Ah, I understand." He replied with a nod, "What did you have in mind then?"

"Hmm… Well, I was thinking about school. Patch is kind of a small town, so the only real school that we have nearby is Signal Academy." She explained, "Signal has classes for aspiring huntsmen and civilians, so you're free to choose what you want to do in that regard."

Summer put a finger to her chin.

"Although… I've seen some of your spars with Yang." She continued with a thoughtful look on her face. "I think that you'd make a great huntsman in the future, if you're interested in going down that route."

A huntsman?

It was an interesting thought. Kirei had been unable to find fulfillment from reaching his goal of becoming an Executor of the Church and he had also been considering transferring to a different department of the Church for a while now, such as the Assembly of the Eighth Sacrament with his father. At least, until that 'incident' with the botched mission changed everything. Becoming a huntsman would be a new path for him, but perhaps, it would be one that would eventually lead to the answers that he so desperately sought.

In the end however, just like everything else, Kirei could only pray that his hopes would come true.

* * *

Yang let out a groan when she found herself on the floor staring up at the sky once again. It had been a good couple of weeks since she and Kirei had started sparring, and she still hadn't won even once yet. Even if he said that there were no winners or losers in a spar, it still _felt_ like a loss to her. Just the thought of it ticked her off, but she had learned early on that it was pointless to get angry.

All that did was make her loses look even worse.

It was still _frustrating_ though. Yang _knew_ she was strong, none of the other kids at Signal could match her, but going up against Kirei was starting to feel like an impossible task. Sure, he was a little older than her, but she had fought and won against the older kids at Signal before. How was it that he was simply so much better than her?

She had actually asked him once, just out of frustration from constantly losing.

" _Practice_." He had simply said.

It wasn't as if she didn't train, people might have thought otherwise, but she didn't get to where she was just from cruising lazily along. She had been training with her dad and uncle Qrow, _along_ with her classes from Signal for as long as she could remember. So why was it that Kirei was still so much better than her?

Was he just like one of those prodigies that they always showed on T.V. or something? Or did he just train that much more than she did?

"It's getting late." Kirei simply stated as he held out a hand, "We should be getting back."

Yang clasped the hand and pulled herself up.

"Not yet." She grumbled, "Let's go a few more rounds."

Kirei's facial expression didn't change from the one that he usually wore, but she could've sworn that she saw the briefest glimpse of amusement dancing in his eyes.

"If you insist."

And there it was, that ghost of a smirk. It was hard to notice, but she had spent enough time around the boy now to get a good read on his habits. He might not have shown it, but she just _knew_ that he enjoyed ticking her off.

Oh, she was going to get him back _real_ good one day.

* * *

 **Author's Notes** \- It seems like the more I write about Kirei, the more I end up feeling pity for the guy. I wonder what he would've done if Gilgamesh never talked him into giving into his true nature. Would he have eventually found his fulfillment in some other way, or would he have resigned himself to his fate like he had been doing beforehand?

Anyway, I do hope that I'm doing his characterization justice. What do you guys think?


	4. Chapter 4

_IV._

 _The First Year (END)_

* * *

For a moment, Summer couldn't believe what she was seeing. She actually had to rub her eyes a bit, just to make sure that she wasn't hallucinating. For the first time, since she had met him all those months ago, Kirei Kotomine had actually smiled.

It wasn't one of those fake ones that he put on for show either, it was a genuine, honest-to-god smile.

"This… Is simply incredible." Kirei all but breathed out, before he brought another spoonful of tofu into his mouth.

And then another. And another. Everyone else at the table had stopped eating as well and simply stared at the odd spectacle. Summer had tried for _weeks_ just to get an actual smile from the boy. She had asked everybody she could think of for advice, even Glynda of all people, and in the end, all it took for Kirei to smile was some cheap take-out from a Mistral themed restaurant?

Summer wasn't sure _what_ to think anymore.

Apparently, she wasn't alone in the matter, because her entire family seemed to share in her disbelief. Even Ruby had stopped nibbling on her cookies as she watched on with her eyes wide in surprise. For her daughter, a sight like that was probably equivalent to seeing a unicorn in person.

Kirei seemed to have finally noticed the sudden attention and stopped eating in response.

"Is there something wrong…?" He asked, his brow furrowed in confusion.

"W-what? N-no nothing's wrong!" Summer quickly stammered out. "I just spaced out a bit that's all. By all means, keep eating!"

Kirei raised a tentative eyebrow, but resumed eating with the same fervor nonetheless.

Everyone else at the table went back to their meals as well, although with a lot less intensity than Kirei did. Tai shared a brief look with her and just chuckled. Summer couldn't help but grin as well.

She'd have to ask that restaurant for their recipes if their food managed to make Kirei of all people crack a smile.

"Hey, Kirei." Yang said, as she brought a steamed dumpling towards her mouth. "Can you help me with my homework later?"

Kirei simply nodded in response as he kept shoveling spoonful after spoonful of tofu into his mouth.

"Kirei, don't just give her the answers, alright?" Taiyang asked, with a bit of a frown. "Make sure she does it on her own."

The boy only nodded once again, too focused on his meal to bother responding with words.

"Aw come on dad, it's just math." Yang pouted, "I'm not even gonna need to use that stuff as a huntress anyway."

As Summer was about to tell Yang that she _would_ need to know at least a _little_ math when she applied for Beacon, her scroll started ringing. Seeing that the call came from Ozpin, she excused herself from the table and stepped outside before answering the call.

"Hey Ozpin." She happily greeted, "How've you and Glynda been doing?"

"Hello Summer." The voice on the other side replied in that calm tone that he always used. "Glynda's still getting used to her new position, but she's been adapting fairly well. She's already quite famous among the student body for being the 'strict' one."

Summer laughed at that.

"Yeah, I can definitely picture that." She said with a smile, "But, I'm sure that's not the only reason why you called me, right?"

Ozpin let out a small sigh.

"Indeed… I know that you're still on leave, and I don't want to tear you apart from your family so soon…" Ozpin began in a solemn tone, "However, I have need for somebody with your abilities. Qrow has discovered something of interest recently and you are the only person that I can trust with this."

If Ozpin had called a few months before, Summer would've taken the job without any second thought. However, with how she was now, she was hesitant to so eagerly accept such a task. After having so much time off to stay with her family for once, she found that it wasn't so easy to just leave anymore.

Especially now that they had a new member of the family that needed her help.

"I… I don't know Ozpin..." Summer softly trailed off. "I'd need to think about it."

The voice on the other line was quiet for a moment.

"I understand how you feel Summer, however this is something that involves the _Red_ _Queen_. I'm sure you know what that entails."

Summer bit her lower lip.

The _Red_ _Queen,_ was a subject that she was indeed very familiar with. She and Qrow had been trying to find leads on the _Red_ _Queen_ for years now. The _Red Queen_ was a danger to humanity itself. It wasn't something that she could just let go, not when she still dreamed of becoming a _hero,_ even after all these years.

Even if it meant that she would have to leave her family behind again. A bitter chuckle left her lips as nothing more than a whisper in the cold winter air.

She really was a terrible parent.

* * *

Kirei had always found it strange that the two sisters were so different from each other.

It was why it didn't come as a surprise to him when he found out that they both had different biological mothers. It wasn't as if he was particularly interested in the subject, he had found out by pure chance when he was helping Summer clean up the house. The woman had found him staring at a dusty old picture frame that he had found hidden inside a cabinet.

It was an old photograph that showed a younger Taiyang and his daughter, along with another woman that he wasn't familiar with. That woman also happened to bear a striking resemblance to some of Yang's features. Kirei could still remember Summer asking him if her eldest daughter and that woman looked similar. For one reason or another, she had told him that the woman was Yang's biological mother not too long afterwards.

Kirei had put away the photograph after that, not wanting to pry any further.

He wasn't sure what exactly had compelled him to tell Yang about it. Perhaps it was just a whim, or perhaps he had thought that the girl simply had a right to know.

When he saw the myriad of emotions that flashed over the girl's face however, he finally realized just _why_ exactly he had told her.

And he _hated_ it.

Kirei _despised_ that part of himself. He _hated_ how his heart would jump in excitement when he saw the shock in Yang's eyes, how _alive_ he would feel when he saw the brief flashes of emotions dancing in her eyes, threatening to all spill out as she realized that her biological mother had _left_ her behind. No matter how hard he tried to bury those feelings away, to change himself…

A deep voice chuckled beside him.

" _How foolish, for a man to try to deny his very own self."_

It was an apparition, nothing more than a shadow, a figment of his imagination, and yet, it unnerved him. Kirei clenched his fists and refused to meet it's gaze. He focused on Yang instead, watching intently as she held onto the old photograph of her mother so tightly that the very photo frame itself threatened to crack.

 _The ghost simply smirked._

"... Hey, Kirei." Yang eventually all but whispered, "Thanks for telling me."

Kirei only nodded in response, too caught up within his own thoughts to trust his voice.

" _To think that she trusts someone like you so earnestly. I do look forward to her reaction when she finds how how you truly are."_

Kirei could feel his teeth clench as they grinded against one another. He was sorely tempted to simply lob a Black Key at the shadow, even if it was only a figment of his imagination. The despicable creature's smirk only seemed to grow wider along with his anger.

It _knew_ that it was getting under his skin.

And why would it not? After all, the ghost that continued to haunt him was none other than an image of himself. It wore his face along with that sickening smirk that aggravated him to no end. The shadow _was_ Kirei Kotomine, whether he wanted to admit it or not.

"-rei? Hey Kirei, you there?"

A hand found itself and his shoulder and he flinched.

"Kirei?" Yang had a troubled look on her face. "Something wrong?"

The shadow only continued to watch on in amusement as he steeled himself and took a deep breath.

"I-I'm fine." He managed to mutter out, "I should go help Summer with preparing dinner."

Kirei didn't give Yang a chance to protest before he turned and walked away. He wasn't sure what compelled him to look back, but when he saw the face that Yang was making as she stared at the old photograph, he clenched his fists and picked up his pace. The infuriating chuckle that the shadow let out seemed to follow not too far behind, no matter how fast he walked.

It was just a phantom and _nothing_ more. He was _not_ like that, and he _never_ would be. Risei Kotomine had not sired a _monster_.

Kirei would find his salvation, surely he would.

He _had_ to.

* * *

Ruby was sad.

She knew that she was a big girl and shouldn't cry about something like this anymore, but the tears just came out on their own. Mom was going away again.

She was going away to be a hero! Ruby should've been _happy_ that her mom was going to be out there saving people from the Grimm, just like the heroes in her storybooks. Her mom was doing a good thing, but deep down, she couldn't help but wish that her mom stayed home instead. It was a selfish thought to have, especially for someone that wanted to be a hero just like her mom in the future.

But still, she just couldn't help it…

There was going to a big a dinner party later that night, as a send-off for mom. Uncle Qrow was going to come over later for it as well. Everyone was busy getting ready for the party. Yang and Kirei were helping dad in the kitchen while mom was packing her things. She wanted to help, but they simply said that she was still too 'little' to be helping out.

Ruby didn't have much else to do, so she simply started drawing instead.

She liked drawing, it was fun. She also liked imagining herself as a famous hero that always saved people from the Grimm. It was one of the reasons she liked to draw, because she could draw herself just like how she was in her dreams.

Of course, drawing could only entertain her for so long. After a few doodles here and there, Ruby grew bored of the activity pretty quickly. Dad wasn't going to let her into the kitchen either, and Uncle Qrow still wasn't here yet, so she soon found herself standing in front of her parents room. Slowly prying the door open, she peeked inside.

Mom was still packing when she briefly raised an eyebrow before settling into an easygoing smile.

"Bored, Ruby?"

"Yeah. Dad won't let me help in the kitchen."

Her mom chuckled at that.

"Do you want to help me pack then?"

Ruby only nodded in response.

"Alright, get over here then." Summer said as she folded up a shirt. "You can help me with folding up my clothes."

"Okay!" Ruby happily chirped, "I'll do the pants."

It wasn't as if Ruby enjoyed folding clothes, because she didn't. But, she did enjoy spending time with her mom, especially when mom was going to be leaving for a while. So, even if folding clothes wasn't the most exciting thing in the world, folding them with her mom made it a lot more enjoyable.

"Mommy?" Ruby eventually began, "How long are you going to be away for?"

"I don't know Ruby." Summer replied as she folded another shirt. "I have a really important job to do this time, so it might be for a few months."

"Oh…" Ruby replied, as she tried her very best to keep the disappointment from her voice.

Summer just gave her a knowing smile.

"I know it's a long time Ruby, but I have to go." Summer said as she patted her head and tousled her hair, "It won't be as lonely this time though, right? Since we have a new member of the family now."

Ruby sniffed, but nodded her head anyway, enjoying the feeling of her mother's touch on her head.

"You'll do your best to look after Tai and everyone while I'm gone right?" Summer asked with a soft smile. "You know how lazy your father can get with the chores."

Ruby giggled at that.

"Yang and I'll make sure he does them mom."

"Make sure to look after Kirei too, Ruby. I know he can be a bit cold at times but…"

"It's okay mom, I know." Ruby replied with a sad nod.

She knew that Kirei was hurting inside. He always seemed to have this pained look in his eyes. Kirei mostly kept to himself, and had never accepted her invitations to play, but she never faulted him for it. Uncle Qrow had been that way for a while as well, until she had gotten him to open up.

It would just take some time.

* * *

The going-away party was a happy event.

Or at least, it was supposed to be. Kirei didn't miss the heavy aura that seemed to hang in the air. The fact that Summer was going to be leaving on a dangerous mission for a long time was still on the back of everybody's minds. No amount of food and drink was going to change that fact.

Pleasantries were exchanged and small talk was made as the hours passed. Eventually, the time for departure finally came and a more solemn tone filled the room. Summer and Qrow each took their time to say their parting words with everyone as he watched from the corner of the room.

"Hey brat." Qrow greeted as per usual, "Try not to cause too much of a ruckus while we're gone."

Kirei simply nodded in response.

"I will do my best."

Qrow just gave him a satisfied nod as well before he stepped away.

"Look after the kids and Tai for me, won't you Kirei?" Summer asked with a soft smile as she gave him a gentle pat on the shoulder.

"Of course."

Summer opened her mouth, but hesitated for a brief moment before she continued.

"Kirei… It wouldn't hurt to try and socialize with everyone else a bit more you know." The woman finally said, "I think that it would do you some good."

Kirei blinked at that, before he simply nodded once again.

"I'll see you soon then, Kirei." She said with a smile.

"Take care and have a safe journey."

And with that, Summer and Qrow left the house.

Had Kirei known that that would've been the last time he would ever see Summer again, he would've confessed to her how twisted his mind truly was. He would've told her how much he yearned for fulfillment without sin, for happiness without having to become a _monster_. He would've asked her that simple question that had been burning away at the back of his mind for so very long.

" _Could someone as twisted as me ever find happiness just like you?"_

It was a pity that he would never get the chance.

* * *

The funeral was a quiet affair.

Kirei had been to a funeral once in the past. His father had been the pastor at the time, and Kirei could still vividly remember the looks of grief and distraught on the faces of the families that had just lost a loved one. It had been the first time that Kirei Kotomine realized that there might have been something fundamentally wrong with him.

Kirei had made sure to never attend a funeral again after that.

In spite of his hesitation, he still felt an obligation to attend Summer's funeral. The event itself was a simply a small gathering on the outskirts of town. Aside from the family, a few individuals that he assumed were close friends of Summer attended the event as well. It was different from the funerals that he was familiar with.

There weren't any prayers or eulogies given for the deceased. The entire event itself was a quiet affair where everyone had a chance to walk up to the casket for their own moment of peace. The casket itself was sealed shut, and from what he had heard about how Summer had met her end, there wasn't much of a body left to show anyway.

The Grimm were merciless creatures that way.

Taiyang was the next person up, and for a brief moment, Kirei thought that the man was going to break down on the very spot. There was a haggard look in his eyes, his beard was uneven, and his hair was a tangled mess, mattered and filthy. Taiyang looked like a broken man that simply stumbled over towards the casket in a daze.

As he watched the sorry sight, a shudder ran through his body like lightning.

Kirei had to strain his eyes to look away, focusing on the snow-covered trees on the horizon instead. Qrow had been next, and for once, the man wasn't actually drunk. The man's eyes were bloodshot enough that he had probably missed a few days of sleep. He looked a little better than Taiyang, but not by much as he made his way over towards the casket.

Kirei recited a short prayer under his breath and hoped that the woman's soul would find salvation. He felt that it was the _correct_ thing to do, the _right_ line of thought. But still, he couldn't help but feel that something truly was wrong with him, when he couldn't even find it in himself to shed a single tear for a woman that was as kind and genuine as Summer Rose. Summer's death hadn't affected him in the slightest, and that alone bothered him a great deal.

Another small sniffle by his side caught his attention.

Her bangs covered over her eyes as Ruby wiped her nose with the back of her hand. Yang held her other hand in a tight hold. The blonde had a strange look in her eyes, one that he was not used to seeing. There was no fire behind those lilac orbs anymore, and even though she tried to play the part of the big sister, it was apparent to him that she was ready to break down into tears just as much as the little sister was.

It was as if he was simply staring at a shell of her old self.

For someone as bright and cheerful as her to end up in such a state… He found that he couldn't tear his eyes away this time. It was even worse than the time when he had told her about her biological mother. When it was finally Yang's turn to say goodbye to her mother, he watched as she hesitantly untangled her fingers from Ruby's own smaller digits and slowly made her way towards the casket.

"Kirei…?" Ruby's voice came out in a soft whisper.

Teary silver eyes bore into his own hazel orbs.

"Why are you smiling…?"

He froze.

Time seemed to have stood still for a moment as the gears in his brain stopped functioning. Ever so slowly, his hands reached up towards his very own face. And then he felt it, his lips curved ever so slightly into an expression that was unmistakably a smile.

" _Why do you act as if you are surprised? This is who you truly are."_

The apparition simply stared at him, as if it were taking a glimpse into his very soul, all while wearing that god forsaken-smirk on _his_ face. Kirei could feel his breath hitch as he bit down on his tongue. He welcomed the pain, _anything_ to get his mind away from all of _this_.

" _Still trying to the part of a good child? How completely and utterly foolish."_

"Kirei…?" Ruby's concerned voice managed to tear him away from the apparition. "Are you okay…?"

He wanted to say something, but he found that no words would come out. The apparition only continued to smirk at him. And he could still feel that _damned_ smile on his face all the while.

" _Why not simply tell her what you truly are?"_

The apparition laughed.

" _You cannot deny your true self."_

It was just too much.

So he left.

Kirei quietly ran away in a hurry, as to avoid catching anyone's attention. Ruby had reached out to grab his arm but he was too fast for her and easily slipped out of her grasp. He wasn't sure where he was going, only that he needed to get away from the funeral, away from Ruby, and most importantly of all, get away from that _thing_ that wore his face. He wasn't sure when he had started running, but he kept at it until he reached a dead-end at a nearby lake.

As Kirei gazed into the water, he saw his own reflection stare back.

He could still see that damn smile plastered on his face and the apparition smirking behind him all the while. Before he even knew it, he had pulled out one of his Black Keys and lobbed into the water in a bout of frustration.

As the water's ripples soon stilled, that _god-forsaken_ smile simply stared back at him, as if mocking him.

" _You cannot deny what you truly are."_

Kirei couldn't help but let out a choked laugh.

* * *

Nobody had noticed Kirei leave, since they were all focused on the funeral or with their own different stages of grief. That was why nobody had noticed when Ruby ran off after Kirei as well. Her dad had always told her to not wander off alone in Patch, because the Grimm were always waiting on the outskirts of the town.

She couldn't just leave Kirei though, not when he had such a pained look in his eyes. And that smile as well… It was a bit unnerving, and that frightened her.

Ruby eventually found the boy standing in front of the large lake by the town. She was about to call out to him when suddenly, in a flash, he pulled out one of those long daggers he always carried around and tossed it straight into the lake. The blade created a splash of water as it disappeared into the depths of the lake.

Ruby found herself frozen as she simply stood and watched on silently.

She watched as Kirei's shoulders slumped and he all but fell to his knees in a heap. Another dagger was gripped firmly in his other hand for a while before he simply let it fall harmlessly into the snow. A choked laugh that bordered along the edges of insanity was the only sound that the boy made.

Was Kirei…?

"Kirei…?" Ruby's hesitantly voiced out.

The boy's body suddenly went rigid. And then, ever so slowly, he stood back up and mechanically turned around, almost as if he were a machine. There was a blank expression on his face, but Ruby could still see that his eyes were a little bit more red than usual.

Had Kirei been crying…?

The boy simply stared at her and Ruby found herself staring back in silence.

"Are you okay…?" She soon found herself asking out of concern.

Kirei turned away, no longer meeting her eyes.

"No, I'm not."

Before she knew it, Ruby found herself walking forward and grabbing Kirei's hand into her own two smaller palms. His hand felt cold to the touch. If Kirei was surprised, he didn't show it on his face. He just had that same blank expression that he always wore when he wasn't with mom. The Kirei that was with mom always seemed a bit more... _Normal_ , than when he was with anybody else.

"It'll get better." Ruby said in the most cheerful tone she could muster, given the circumstances.

It was a lie, and she knew it. She didn't doubt that Kirei knew it as well. Uncle Qrow had told her the same thing when he broke the news about her mom. But still, it was the right thing to say…

And even so, her mom had always said that if she believed in something hard enough, it would come true. So, even if it was a lie, even if it still hurt, as long as she believed that things would get better, than they would. They _had_ to.

"You're crying, Ruby."

She blinked, and suddenly she could feel the wet sensation in her eyes. With a small sniffle, she wiped away her tears with her sleeve. She didn't let go of his hand as they stood there in silence, with the occasional sniffle coming from herself.

A low growl soon caught her attention and her breath hitched.

A Grimm stalked out from the bushes and snarled at her. Her eyes widened in fear and she stood frozen in place. Ruby could feel Kirei's hand free itself from her grasp. She wanted to protest but all of a sudden, couldn't find her voice.

Kirei simply took out another one of his daggers and stood in front of her, in between the Grimm.

Everything else that happened after was nothing but a blur. Kirei had killed the Grimm without much of an issue. He had been fast, much faster than he had been in the spars that she had seen with her sister. A Black Key through the skull and the Grimm hadn't stood a chance. Ruby couldn't help but feel a twisted sense of satisfaction when Kirei had killed one of the creatures that took her mom away from them.

Ruby had been afraid. That Grimm had frightened her worse than any scary movie Yang could show her and if it weren't for Kirei, she wasn't sure if she would have even survived the encounter.

And then Uncle Qrow and her dad had found them not too long after.

Dad had let out a choked sob as he pulled her into the tightest hug she had ever gotten. There were worried voices all around and everything that happened next was simply a whirl of emotion. Ruby felt bad for making her dad worry, especially during a tough time like this, but she still thought that she had made the right choice. Dad had given her and Kirei a long lecture about wandering off into the forest alone, but Ruby had mostly tuned it out.

Instead, she had been thinking about Kirei.

She had always known that Kirei was in pain, that he was a bit _different_ from everyone else. Her mother had at least hinted at that much. But, now? She had a feeling that it was something that went even deeper than that. That there was something truly _wrong_ with Kirei.

Kirei Kotomine was _broken._

Like one of her old toys that just couldn't quite function normally anymore. But that was alright, because she would fix him. Things were going to get better, and she would make sure of it. She was going to be the hero that everyone needed, the hero that her mother had always wanted to become.

 _And she would save Kirei, just like how her mother had always wanted to do._

* * *

 _ **Author's Notes** \- _And here we have the end... of Act I anyway. This was originally supposed to be a two-part chapter, but I felt as if the length would've been too short so I decided to merge them together. There's going to be a bit of a time-skip in Act II, to end up more in line with the start of season one. I'm not sure when I'm going to start on Act II, but most of my readers know how I am. My updates can be quite... Sporadic to say the least.

I'm quite satisfied at where I managed to end things off on though. This was originally just a bit of a spur of the moment type of story, that ended up becoming something more. Anyway, it was a fun piece to write, and I only hope that I did Kirei's character right.


	5. Chapter 5

_V._

 _The Days After_

* * *

It had been two long years since he had started his studies at Signal Academy like Summer Rose had suggested. Compared to his training as an executor, the lesson plan at Signal was a lot more lax. Of course, that was to be expected, as his executor training had never been meant for children to begin with. He had simply been allowed to undertake those trials early due to the fact that he was a "Prodigy", as the head priest at the time had said.

It wasn't as if becoming an executor had always been a dream of his or anything like that. Kirei had simply been following the path that his father had laid down for him like any good son would. Whether he had dreamed of it or not however, being given the prestigious title of executor did not give him the satisfaction that he had thought it would. It was disappointing even, while all his peers were celebrating in happiness and joy at having finally accomplished their goal, he had felt empty inside instead.

Would the path towards becoming a huntsman help him find his purpose in life? Would it finally give him the answer to the questions that he so desperately sought? After all, why had God even created a being like him in the first place? For what purpose was he given life, if all he could enjoy was deemed evil and sinful?

 _For what reason did such a person like him even exist for?!_

He didn't understand it, could not comprehend it even.

Had God made a mistake?

There were times where he had thought that it would have been better had he not existed in the first place. Perhaps it would have been better to simply rid the world of himself now, before he could even have the chance to commit any evil. He wasn't a fool, he knew that despite the self-control that he possessed, if things continued on like this, how long would it be before he lost control? And yet, wasn't that in itself a sin? The act of taking one's own life? Then what was there left for him to do, if he could not find the answer that he wanted to find?

Kirei didn't know.

He didn't know, so all that he had left was hope. That hope was all that he had left at this point and he clung to it like a man would cling to raft while lost at sea. He dared not accept that his only path towards happiness involved the suffering of others. Just the _thought_ of it went against everything that his father and the church had taught him. It went against his entire identity and everything that he had come to know about the world.

He could only hope that he would find the answers that he sought one day.

 _One day._

And if he didn't…

It was then that Kirei suddenly felt the impact of a fist slamming against his face.

He flew back and landed on his back in a bit of a daze, staring up at the clouds. A familiar mess of blonde hair and fiery lilac eyes stood over him and bore into him, an annoyed glint flashing ever so briefly in those irises as per usual.

Yang crossed her arms over her chest and frowned.

"Hey Kirei? Helloooo? Anyone in there?"

He blinked once, as if having been shaken out of stupor.

He had been sparing, and had gotten lost in his thoughts again. Rather than be angry however, his first thoughts were that his aura had absorbed the majority of the blow, so there wasn't any lasting damage that would affect his combat ability. It was a force of habit more than anything, executor training that had kicked in and momentarily taken over his thought process.

Yang only continued to stand over him with her hands on her hips all the while and didn't look all too happy however.

"How many times are you going to space out on me?" Yang asked in a huff. "There's no point in sparring if you're not even going to pay attention."

"Sorry." The reply had felt fake, even from his own point of view.

"Sure you are." The girl rolled her eyes and held out her hand. "Let's just go home then, there's no point in continuing when you're out of it like this."

Kirei grabbed the hand and pulled himself up.

"Sorry." He apologized again, more out of obligation this time than anything. "I'll make it up to you."

"You'd better." Yang said as she dusted herself off, "I'm not going to be satisfied until I get a real win against you, alright?"

Kirei brushed off some of the dirt on his own clothing before they began walking home together.

"That's probably not going to happen anytime soon."

"Huh?! What was that?!" Yang narrowed her eyes, "You wanna go again then?"

Kirei simply shrugged.

"I'm just being honest. There's no need to get angry about it Yang, your temper is an easily exploitable weakness of yours."

Yang just glared at him for a moment, before letting out a sigh and shaking her head.

"You know what? I think that you just have a special talent for pissing people off. _Me_ especially. You're doing it on purpose, aren't you?"

He couldn't help but smirk a little at that.

There was always some fun to be had when it came to riling up the fiery blonde. It had almost become like a game for him these days, to see how much he could get away with before the inevitable implosion that came. Of course, her temper was a big weakness as a fighter that she needed to control, so there were some actual good reasons for poking the hornet's nest as often as he did.

He'd be lying however, if he said that he didn't enjoy doing it.

"I don't know what you're talking about Yang, I was just being honest."

She gave him a look.

"Uh huh. Sure."

Kirei usually took a shortcut through the woods to get home when he was by himself, but when he was with Yang, they typically took the main road together. It was a lot less likely to get attacked by any stray Grimm that way. He didn't particularly mind when he was alone, but it was better to be safer when he was with someone else.

Their spars usually lasted a lot longer, but since they had ended it early today, they'd be getting home earlier than usual. It had become almost like a weekly ritual for them at this point, to spar after classes on Fridays. Yang had improved a lot compared to when they had first started. She was a natural when it came to hand-to-hand combat and in a few more years, she'd be a frightening opponent to face in close quarters.

If she ever got over that temper problem that she had anyway.

He couldn't say that he enjoyed teaching her… But he didn't exactly hate it either. He supposed that he was neutral towards the whole thing. If anything, it had been an _interesting_ experience so far, but not exactly the kind he was hoping for. There wasn't any feelings of satisfaction or happiness to be gained from watching her improve, like how he felt a teacher _should_ feel towards a pupil's progress.

Another fruitless endeavor he supposed...

"Hey Kirei..." Yang began, breaking the silence during their walk home. "Is there something going on? You've been spacing out a lot lately."

He wanted to sigh, but thought better of it.

He had a feeling that Yang would ask him about his frequent mental lapses as of late. Whether she had realized it or not, ever since Summer's passing, the girl had really started to take her role as the 'big sister' a lot more seriously. And that also meant trying to help everyone with their problems, whether it was Ruby or himself. It was a bit silly to him, since he _was_ the older one here.

"No. I've just had a lot on my mind lately, that's all."

"You sure…? Yang asked, a skeptical look in her eyes. "I know mom isn't here anymore… But if you want to talk about it, I'm always here."

"I'm sure." He quickly answered, eager to drop the subject entirely. "I've just been worrying about the upcoming exams."

It was a lie.

A complete and utter lie.

The look on her face told him that unlike with Ruby, she didn't buy his lie one tiny bit. She was a lot sharper when it came to these things when compared to her little sister, but thankfully, she took the hint and their walk back home fell back into a quiet silence. The only person that he had ever even _thought_ about confiding in was Summer, and she was _dead_. As much as Yang wanted to play the role of the big sister, he had no interest in indulging her when it came to his own personal problems.

Those would be better kept as secrets, for everyone's sake as well as his own.

A haunting laugh echoed throughout his mind.

He could feel his hands clench into tightly knit fists and his body tense in response. If Yang had noticed anything off about him however, she had decided not to comment on it. He was grateful to her for that and willed his eyes to remain staring forward all the while.

The _last_ thing that he wanted to see right now was that _damned_ specter wearing his face.

* * *

It only took Ruby one bite of her dinner to know that Kirei had been the one that prepared their evening meal today. There was always just a little too much spice in the foods that Kirei made, not to say that it wasn't good... It was just that every time Kirei cooked, it was going to involve something spicy and Mistral themed.

"Really Kirei? We're having Mistral again?" Yang asked with a sigh.

"Is it not to your liking?" The boy in question responded in between mouthfuls. "I'll be sure to take that into consideration for next time."

Yang simply rolled her eyes at that.

"You _always_ say that, and then you _always_ make the same thing the next time anyway. I'm starting to think that you're just doing it to annoy me at this point."

Kirei gulped down another spoonful of food before he smiled in contentment.

"I would _never_ do something like that Yang."

Her sister snorted in response.

"Yeah, right. Honestly, I just don't get how you aren't tired of eating the same thing all the time."

"I don't eat the same thing all the time." Kirei dryly replied as he finished his meal. "Did you forget that you cook the other half of the week?"

Yang gave Kirei a look.

"You know what I mean Kirei."

Ruby just continued to watch the back and forth between Kirei and her sister as she ate her meal. She knew that her sister was a bit of a hot-head, but Kirei always managed to push her buttons over the simplest things. She wasn't sure, but she had a feeling that Kirei had fun with getting Yang riled up. They still got along well enough though, in their own weird way. At least, she'd like to think that they did. Kirei wasn't exactly an easy person to understand after all. She was pretty sure that mom had understood him, but that was because mom was _mom_ , and she knew how to handle _everything_.

It was _hard_ , not having her around anymore.

Dad wasn't taking it very well either and didn't stay home much anymore. She didn't blame him, it must have been painful, coming home to mom's room every night only to realize that she wasn't coming home. Kirei and Yang took care of most of the chores and the cooking around the house these days. She helped of course, whenever they let her anyway. Uncle Qrow would drop by every now and then as well, to check up on everyone.

Things were a lot harder now... But they all still made it work in their own little way.

And things would get better eventually. That was something that she firmly believed in. After all, mom wouldn't have wanted everyone to just mope around and be sad all the time. She was sad too, but she just _knew_ that mom must have died as a hero saving people from Grimm, and that made it a little easier to bear.

She finished the rest of her food, even though she didn't like spicy flavors that much. Her mom had always said not to waste food after all. Kirei took her empty plate with him along with everyone else's to the sink for washing.

Ruby couldn't help but let out a yawn.

"Time for bed sis?" Her sister asked with a tired smile. "Want me to read you a story?"

"Yeah!" She happily replied, "One with superheroes!"

Yang chuckled.

"Alright, alright. Go brush your teeth first and get ready for bed."

She missed her mom, truly she did. She wished her dad would go back to acting like how he used to be. She wished Uncle Qrow would come over more often. But it was alright, because she still had her big sister, and she still had Kirei. Her dad would get better eventually, and Uncle Qrow won't be as busy as he was now in the future, she was sure of it.

Everything would get better eventually, and it was because of that, she was content.

* * *

It was early in the morning when Kirei found himself standing in front of a pack of Beowolves.

The sun hadn't fully risen yet, and only a few streaks of light here and there provided any kind of illumination in the dark. The Grimm slowly began to circle around him, emitting low growls from their jaws all the while. The Grimm were quite similar to wild animals in that way. They shared many of the tendencies that their wild animal counterparts possessed, and right now for the Beowolves, they were predators that had finally managed to stalk down their prey.

Kirei Kotomine simply pulled out his Black Keys.

The Grimm were attracted to negative emotions, or so he had been told. It did make sense however, since there was a lot of negative emotion to be had in the small village of Patch since the passing of Summer Rose. She had been quite the popular figure around the town after all. Even though the funeral had long since passed, there were Grimm in the area that still roamed about, regardless of the frequent huntsmen patrols.

That suited Kirei just fine though.

A huntsman job could involve a lot of things, but what it mainly came down to was killing Grimm. The lessons at Signal Academy provided useful information in that regard, but without any of the practicality that was involved. Real world experience was necessary in order to supplement his education. Training as an executor had involved fighting against actual magi, and that had produced good results, so he had simply adopted the same practices in regards towards the Grimm.

They weren't too difficult to find after all.

A crow in the background squawked and the Beowolves seemed to take that as their cue to charge. A Black Key flew through the air in response, lodging itself neatly inside the skull of one of the beasts. The rest of the Grimm lashed out in response of their fallen comrade as they ran at him like the feral animals that they were.

Kirei threw the rest of the Black Keys in his hand, each one finding its mark.

The remaining Grimm that hadn't been taken out by his Black Keys continued to rush forward, undeterred. Aura strengthened his body and his elbow shattered the jaw of a Beowolf that attempted to take a slash at him with its claws. Bajiquan was meant to be used against other humans, but Kirei had hunted enough monsters as an Executor in the past, that at this point, he had gotten used to improvising. An Aura empowered fist cracked open the skull-like mask on another Beowolf and an open palm strike to the jaw finished it off.

As he dusted off his clothes and went about to collect his Black Keys, a low growl caught his attention.

A Black Key was lodged deep inside its neck as the creature of darkness continued to growl. As Kirei got a closer look at the Beowolf, he could tell that it wasn't long for this world with those wounds. It tried to move, attempted to get up, but its limbs simply could no longer support itself.

He grabbed the Black Key and violently ripped it out as he watched the creature slowly bleed out on the ground.

The Grimm were creatures that apparently did not possess souls, but it seemed that they could still at the very least could feel pain and other emotions. He watched as the creature helplessly tried to attack him, as its movements got more and more sluggish in its futile attempts to regain its footing. He watched it _suffer,_ and he found himself enjoying every second of it.

Eventually, the beast's time came to an end as it began to dissolve into a small disappearing puddle of Grimm residue.

It was a strange sight, watching the corpses of the Grimm simply disappear before his eyes. It was a phenomenon that no one could give him a definitive answer to. A popular belief among huntsmen was that the corpses of the Grimm disappeared because they lacked a soul to anchor their bodies to the world. Whether that was actually true or not however, he didn't know.

Kirei collected his Black Keys off the ground and quietly slid them back into his coat before he made his way deeper into the forest.

"Still not finished?" A slurred voice suddenly asked, "You plan on clearing out the whole forest kid?"

Qrow Branwen trailed behind him with a flask of alcohol in his hands.

As usual, Qrow had somehow managed to sneak up on him, even while being intoxicated. The drunkard had discovered his little training regime sometime ago, and while he wasn't always around because of his job, when he was, he always made sure to watch over him. Qrow never stopped him or told anyone about it, but he would always warn him in one way or another when he was getting a little too deep into Grimm territory.

Kirei was sure that he could handle himself, but he still listened to Qrow, if only to give the man some peace of mind.

Originally, he had thought that Qrow held little love for him, so he was confused as to why the man would be so concerned for his well being in the first place. Then he realized that it wasn't really about how Qrow felt about _him_ , and more about how Summer had. Whether watching out for him was Qrow's way of paying his respects towards Summer, or something else entirely, he wasn't sure. The one thing that Kirei _was_ sure about however, was that the loss of Summer had probably affected the man more than he liked to show.

Kirei simply put away his Black Keys and followed after the man.

It was probably better to start heading home anyway. The sun was going to rise soon and he needed to get ready to prepare breakfast. The girls weren't going to do it since they weren't early risers to begin with and Taiyang wasn't a good cook at all. He preferred cooking anyway, since nobody else in their household added enough spice to their meals. Summer truly was an angel for introducing him to Mistralean themed cuisine.

As they continued their walk back home, Kirei suddenly stopped.

"What's up kid?" Qrow gave him a strange look, "You forgot one of your fancy little daggers or something?"

"No." Kirei eventually replied and began walking once more. "I was just thinking..."

Qrow raised an eyebrow. "About what?"

"About when I had started considering this place to be home."

* * *

 **Author's Notes-**

Ah well, my muse has returned and with it, we have Act II. For a while, I was thinking about whether or not I even wanted to write an Act II anymore, and considered leaving the story as finished. But, my muse decided to start bugging me with ideas as of late, so I decided to just go along with it. Although, maybe I should just ask you guys instead, do _you_ want an Act II?


	6. Chapter 6

_VI._

 _The Days After_

* * *

It was late into the night when he heard a knock on his door.

The members of the Xiao-Long household were usually fast asleep by this time, so he was curious as to who could have been knocking on his door. He could have ignored it and pretended to be asleep, as he was already in bed, but his curiosity got the better of him and he found himself walking towards the door anyway.

Kirei was surprised to see Yang waiting outside, but he kept his face impassive.

"Did you need something, Yang?"

She had a nervous look in her eyes. It was an emotion that he was not used to seeing in the blonde haired girl, she was usually so confident in herself after all. It only made him all the more curious as to what she could want from him.

"Can I come in first?"

Kirei raised an eyebrow, but didn't protest and instead simply stood out of the way.

She gingerly stepped inside and he could see her eyes quickly scan around the room, taking everything in. His room was quite spartan however, so there wasn't much to look at. It only contained the barest of necessities, aside from a small framed picture that sat on his desk. He could see her eyes eventually settle on that picture as she walked over to get a closer look.

It was a picture of Summer and himself, one that she had goaded him into taking together when she had found out that it was his birthday. Kirei could still recall the silly party hat that she had talked him into wearing and the smiles on everyone's faces during the event. For him, however, it was a rather unremarkable memory. Oddly enough though, he still felt a need to keep the picture around.

It just seemed like… The _correct_ thing to do, given the circumstances.

"Hey, I remember that picture." Yang said as she held the picture frame in her hands. "It was from your birthday, right?"

Kirei simply nodded in response.

"Do you miss her, Kirei?"

He froze for a moment.

That question had caught him off guard. _Did_ he miss her? He could recall feeling _regretful_ about her passing, but nothing more than that. Certainly not the same feelings that she and Ruby probably shared about their mother's passing. The only emotion that he could recall feeling at the time was regret, and it was probably the regret from losing a potential lead on finally discovering something _good_ about himself.

A haunting laugh echoed through his ears and he could feel his body stiffen in response.

" _Be honest with yourself, the only thing that you regret is that you weren't the one to kill her yourself."_

Fury erupted within him.

"That's a lie!"

"What?" Yang asked, her eyes wide in surprise at his sudden outburst. "What's a lie?"

The specter only laughed again before it disappeared back into the shadows of his mind.

"I…" Kirei let out a deep breath to calm himself. "Sorry, forget I said anything."

He had done it _again_.

He had let that _damned_ specter get to him _again_. Why did his very own mind continue to taunt him with that specter? He was trying so damn hard to not stray off the right path, to follow in the footsteps that his father had laid out for him. And yet, why did it seem all but impossible? Was it because it truly was pointless to fight against one's true nature? Was he simply damned to a life of sin, to spit on every single core value his father had taught him?

Had Kotomine Risei truly sired a monster?

"Kirei, what's going on?" Yang asked, a look of concern in her eyes. "You haven't been acting normal lately… Not since mom died."

 _Normal?_

He wanted to laugh at that, oh how he wanted to laugh at that _so_ _damn badly_. Now that he thought about it, when had he _ever_ been normal? He could think all the way back to his earliest memories, of a squabble he had gotten into with some other children, and how he had _enjoyed_ hurting them. It was as if his entire existence itself was just a mistake, a mistake that God had created and long since forgotten about.

"...Come on Kirei, let's sit down." Yang said as she grabbed his hand.

Kirei allowed her to drag him by the hand towards the bed, suddenly feeling all too tired to bother protesting. Her hand felt warm to the touch, as if she had just gotten out from under the covers of her very own bed. As they sat down together on the edge of his bed, she kept her hand enclosed around his own. He recognized it as an act of comforting someone, but there was no comforting a _broken_ person.

For a while, no words were exchanged as they simply sat there in silence.

"You really don't want to talk about it, Kirei?" She asked once more, as Lilac-colored irises looked over towards him in concern.

Kirei didn't immediately respond, and just took another deep breath instead.

* * *

Yang wasn't quite sure what to expect when she had knocked on Kirei's door.

The boy that had grown on her as a rival had been acting strangely for a while now. She couldn't exactly recall when his behavior had started to change, but it was definitely around the time after mom's passing. It wasn't as if he was acting completely different or anything like that, it was a lot more subtle. Kirei would space out here and there, and he would get this strange look in his eyes, as if he were in a trance of some sort.

Kirei didn't talk much, but over the years she had started to understand how he operated a little better. She could tell when he was in a good mood from small facial cues, and she could tell when he was in a _not_ so good mood. And right now, he looked absolutely _distraught_. She wasn't sure what she had said that had triggered it, but Kirei had that strange look in his eyes again, and then when he had let out that sudden outburst, it had even managed to frighten her a bit.

She had never seen him raise his voice like that, and not only that, but she had never seen him with such an _angry_ look in his eyes. Something was terribly wrong, but she didn't know what, and she _hated_ that feeling of uselessness. Yang wasn't sure what she could do to help either, so all she _could_ do was stay by his side until he felt better.

Eventually, she could see that Kirei had started to calm down. The heavy breathing stopped, and the almost crazed look in his eyes soon returned to their usual dullness. He still hadn't told her what was wrong, but at this point, she had all but given up on trying to get him to talk about it.

And then Kirei had surprised her.

"I see a ghost, Yang."

"A ghost?" She found herself softly repeating, wanting an explanation.

Kirei went quiet again, and she squeezed his hand a little tighter, as if it would get him to start speaking again.

And to her surprise, it does.

"It wears my face, and tells me things about myself that I'm afraid to think about."

"What do you mean, Kirei?" Yang doesn't understand, but Kirei goes quiet once more.

This time, he doesn't speak anymore, even after she squeezes his hand again. Yang still doesn't understand, but it's a start, and she feels satisfied from their talks for once.

She looked back over towards the lone picture frame that sits on his desk and thinks about older, happier times. Another picture comes to her mind, only this one is of a different mother, and of a different time that she had no recollection of. She can still recall the day that Kirei had let her know about her biological mother, about Raven.

And then she suddenly remembered why she had come here in the first place. The sudden panic attack that Kirei had caused her to almost forget.

"Kirei, do you remember when you showed me that picture of Raven? Of my mom?"

She felt him go still for a brief moment, before he slowly nodded in response.

"I do."

"I want to go look for her." Yang said with a tone of finality. "Would you help me find her?"

She knew that it was pointless to ask her father or Uncle Qrow about it. They rarely told her anything about Raven, only dropping small hints about her mother here and there whenever she asked too often. All that meant for her, however, was that if she ever wanted to meet her mother, she would have to accomplish it without them.

"Even if I were to say no, you would still go and try to look for her anyway, wouldn't you?"

Yang gave a sly grin.

"What do you think?"

She could see him close his eyes and sigh. It was something that Kirei always did when he was going to do something troublesome by his standards, and that was when she knew that she had won.

"And who would watch over Ruby in the meantime?" Kirei questioned. "You know how your father has been, ever since _her_ passing."

Yang bit her lip at that.

Kirei was right of course, like he _always_ was. Dad barely even came home anymore, choosing to drown himself in his work rather than come back home to an empty room without a wife. She thought about Uncle Qrow, but he only came by every now and then in the first place.

"We can bring her with us." She eventually replied. "We've been the ones taking care of her anyway, so it'll be fine."

"Do you even know where your mother is?" Kirei continued to question. "Do you even have an idea?"

Yang gave a sheepish grin at that.

"Eh heh… I was hoping you could help with that."

She could see him close his eyes and let out another sigh.

"Of course."

To be honest, she didn't even know where to begin in her search for Raven, but that was why she had planned on asking Kirei to begin with. While she saw him as a rival, he was also someone that she went to for help whenever she had questions that needed answers. He was always honest with her, at least when it came to questions that didn't involve himself, and she appreciated that.

"We're going to need to plan ahead for this." Kirei eventually said. "We'll also need to prepare traveling supplies."

"Right." She nodded vigorously in response.

"And Yang?"

"Yeah?"

He gave her a blank look.

"Can you let go of my hand now?"

She owlishly blinked once, before she quickly retracted her hand, a faint blush in her cheeks all the while.

* * *

Ruby curiously watched on as Kirei continued to pack her things into a small little traveling bag.

He had said that they would be going on a trip soon, along with Yang. Ruby didn't particularly mind, since it _had_ been getting quite boring at home lately. She was curious as to _where_ they were going though.

"Hey Kirei, where are we going?"

"To find Yang's mother." Kirei replied as he folded up some of her clothes into the bag.

Ruby furrowed her brow.

"But mom's dead." She simply replied. "Yang knows where she's buried."

Kirei finished packing and zipped up the bag.

"Summer isn't Yang's biological mother, Ruby."

She frowned at the rather large word that Kirei had used.

"What does bio-bio… biological mean?"

"It means that Summer isn't the woman that gave birth to her." Kirei simply replied. "The woman that actually gave birth to Yang is her biological mother."

She blinked at him. "Then does that mean Yang has two moms?"

"You could say that."

Yang had another mom? Then did that mean she _also_ had another mom? But Ruby didn't want another mom, she wanted _her_ mom.

"I don't wanna go anymore."

Kirei stared at her for a moment, before he walked over and knelt down next to her.

"And why is that?"

"I don't want another mom." She sniffed. "I want _my_ mom back."

"Perhaps you don't, but maybe Yang does. We can't go unless we bring you with us." Kirei said. "Yang would probably be sad if we couldn't go."

Ruby frowned.

She didn't want to make her sister sad, but she also didn't want another mom. Maybe that lady could be Yang's new mom, but Ruby didn't want her. The only mom that she wanted was _her_ mom.

In the end however, she decided that she would go, but only because she wanted her sister to be happy.

* * *

Qrow took another long drink from his flask.

It had been a few weeks since he had last seen his nieces. Ozpin had been sending him on mission after mission lately and it was starting to drive him nuts. He didn't mind the work, but Oz had been running him ragged lately and he just needed a break. Just another reason why he wished that Summer was still around he supposed.

Things were a lot easier when she was still here, in more ways than one.

Taking another drink from his flask, he screwed the cork back on and shoved it back into his pocket. Patch was still cold as hell, even with the liquor warming him up, so he walked a little bit faster down the familiar path towards Tai's house. His old friend had been out of it for a while now, and Qrow was starting to wonder if he would ever get back to normal.

He had already lost Raven in the past, and now he lost his second wife too.

Qrow couldn't blame him for being out of it, but he still worried about the kids. The last time he had seen them, they had been doing alright. The brat had been doing a good job in watching over them, and Yang had gotten a lot more responsible lately as well. But even then, it probably wasn't right to just leave a bunch of kids alone most of the time.

Even if that was how he and his sister had once grown up.

The last thing that he wanted from his nieces were for them to end up like Raven, or even worse, himself. Qrow could see the little house along the road begin to show up within his vision. Maybe he would stay a bit longer this time, watch over the kids for a little while, god knows that he needed a vacation. Maybe he'd talk to Tai a bit about _things_ , how long had it been since they had a real talk after all?

As he got the door, he fumbled around in his pocket for a bit, before he managed to pull out a key. With a bit of a struggle, probably because he was drunk, he managed to unlock the door and step inside. Already, Qrow could feel like something was wrong. It was quiet, too quiet, and as he walked through the house and found it completely empty, Qrow began to sweat.

 _Calm down._

They were probably safe, Yang and the brat could take care of themselves. Ruby hadn't learned to fight yet, but he didn't doubt that Yang was with her, the sisters were close to inseparable these days. The question was, where were they? He needed to search for clues, so he began to look around the house.

Eventually, he stumbled upon a sealed letter inside of Kirei's room.

Interestingly enough, it was addressed to him, so he quickly tore it open. The handwriting inside was neat, as he expected from the brat. With Summer's teaching, Kirei had learned how to read and write with relative ease. He doubted that he could have written a more _official_ looking letter himself. The kid really was a prodigy, in more ways than one.

 _Dear Qrow,_

 _If you find this letter, then we have already left the house. Yang wanted to find her biological mother and decided to drag me along with her. Naturally, given Taiyang's current mental state, we decided to bring Ruby along as well. I thought that it would be prudent to let you know, so that you won't think that we were kidnapped, or something equally as silly. I am not sure when we will be returning, so try to keep Taiyang from having a mental breakdown when he eventually finds out. Although, given his current state of mind, we might even return before he does find out._

 _Your favorite brat,_

 _Kirei_

Qrow suddenly felt like he had a headache.

Whether it was from drinking too much, or from the current situation at hand, he wasn't sure. Reading through the letter again though, he couldn't help but scoff. The brat was a lot more cheeky when it came to putting pen to paper. He had a feeling Yang would want to do something about Raven, given her personality, but he didn't think that she would do something so drastic.

He wasn't too worried about them running into any Grimm, because Kirei and Yang knew their way around a fight.

If they actually _did_ manage to find Raven though, he wasn't sure how his sister was going to react. The last thing that he wanted was for his nieces to get brainwashed into becoming a bandit like. Pulling out his scroll, Qrow dialed Tai's number.

"Hello?" Came Taiyang's tired voice.

"Tai, you idiot. Do you realize what your kids just did?"

"What…?" Taiyang replied, a slight panic entering his tone. "What happened Qrow?"

"Your kids decided to go on a trip and look for Raven." Qrow dryly answered. "Can't imagine why."

"They _what_?!" Taiyang all but screamed. "Hold on Qrow, I'm coming home right now."

Qrow let out a sigh as he closed his scroll. His ears were ringing, but that was one problem taken care of. Now the real challenge began, trying to find those brats before they managed to find his sister. Taking another drink from his flask, he just shook his head.

So much for his vacation.

* * *

 **Author's Notes-**

Alright, you guys wanted it, so rejoice for Act II has arrived! On another note, I was pleasantly surprised by how many people actually wanted to see this continued. I'll try my best to keep my muse burning strong. Reviews help of course, eh heh.


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